


Beer and despair

by JustaBluebird



Category: Being Human (US/Canada), Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Angst, Hurt No Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2017-09-14
Packaged: 2018-12-29 17:27:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12089835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustaBluebird/pseuds/JustaBluebird
Summary: One friend in limbo, another missing, and Josh is stuck with Aidan's fledgling locked in his basement. An encounter with a vampire on the road might help him figure out what to do.





	Beer and despair

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in an AU where Aidan turned Kenny before he challenged Mother.

Josh couldn't take it anymore. One friend in limbo, another missing, and here he was sitting at their kitchen table, head in his hand and still in his scrubs from work, trying to pretend he couldn't hear the hungry growling and scratching of the fledgling vampire locked in the basement. 

Nora had been trying to keep his spirits up, but as time has gone on she has started suggesting maybe he should move on. Like his friends - his family- is dead. But their not dead, he just can’t find them. And he is fucking up the only thing he has left of Aidan. Kenny is starving and Josh has no blood to give him, not without risking killing him with the virus. And Aidan will be devastated if Kenny is dead when he gets back. Aidan already lost Bernie, tricked into killing the child he loved so much for a crime he didn’t commit. Josh isn’t going to be the reason he lost another child. 

Josh hasn’t heard head or tail of Aidan’s other child, the freaky no-skinned child one, Henry. Aidan did say he was going to take Henry with him to challenge Mother though, so he’s probably dust too.

God, why didn’t he stop Aidan when he told him that stupid plan? Oh right, he was too obsessed with curing his werewolfism. Killing the wolf that bit you, well, now Josh is human and Nora’s still a wolf, and a good man is lying in a shallow grave because of him. For nothing. 

More scratching, and a slow whine comes from the basement. Josh rubs his eyes and forcefully reminds himself that vampires can’t die of starvation, _they can’t._

And he is late for his night shift.

\--------------------------------------------------

“Oi mate, you know where a bloke could get a drink around here?”

Josh turned on the sidewalk to face the blond man in a leather coat. They were only a few block from the hospital. He to a look at the mans pale skin and instinctively sniffed - which got him a whole lot of nothing because he’s human now - before responding.

“You a vampire?” 

The man focused on him, eye sharper than they were a moment ago. “Well now, that’s a thing to ask.”

That’s a yes. Josh let out a breath, his exhaustion weighing down on him. “There’s no food here. Just go, before you get yourself killed.”

The man snorted and reached into his pocket for a box of cigarettes. “What, you got some sort of hunter here or something? ‘Case I can handle myself.”

Josh blinked, his late shift momentarily forgotten. “What? No, the virus? Are you - what kind of rock are you living under - _There is nothing to eat here_. All the old vamps are dust now, so unless you want to join me at the hospital having seizures and coughing yourself to death, you’ll find somewhere else to go!”

The blond paused, watching him. “Sounds to me mate.” He said as he lit a cigarette “That you might know a thing or two, so how about instead we grab a pint and you tell me about it.”

It was Josh’s turn to pause. He glanced at his watch, two hours late, and decided, yeah, fuck it, he was sick tonight.

\----------------------------------------------------------

Several bottles of beer and a few unwise shots later and Josh found himself telling the vampire, Spike, everything. From the virus and the vampires that keep getting sent to triage to die, to the blood dens that have been abandoned, to Mother and the Dutch getting infected and dusting, to _who Mother and the dutch even are._

“You know, you definitely aren’t from around here” Josh slurred as he leaned against the booth’s table. “Aidan, he would be all like ‘oh the Dutch are coming? We gotta get ready’ And get all nervous and not go to work and shit.” He took another sip. “I though all vampires knew this stuff, I know this stuff and I ain't even a vampire.”

Spike took another drink from his glass. “Ta mate, I’m just a bit turned around is all. And they must not be that big. I never heard of them.”

Josh frowned. “No.” He said. “Aidan said the Dutch were way older than him, and that Mother was way older than all the Dutch so they are probably like, super old.”

“Aidan?”

“My… my roommate. He’s like two-fifty.”

“...Your human.”

“I used to be a werewolf.”

Spike looked like he was going to say something, but changed his mind. “And this Aidan around?”

Josh shook his head. “I don’t know where he is. And I got-” Josh paused, looking a Spike. “Hey, how old are you?”

“Old enough, why?”

“You know anything about, uh, fledglings?”

“What?”

“You know, baby vamps”

“I know what a fledgling is.”

“Yeah well.” Josh continued. “Aidan had one before he disappeared, and the kids like, a couple of month old? That what you're supposed to do right? Count from after the turn? Anyway.” Josh blustered on without giving Spike a chance to respond. “He’s locked in our basement now, and I don’t know what to do with him, and I don’t have anything for him to eat, and I just. Don’t know what to do.” Tears prickled the edges of Josh’s eyes.

Spike took a long pull from his beer. “Could stake him.”

Josh gripped his glass tighter. “That's _not_ an _option_.”

“Listen mate, I'm not the best person to be talking about this kind of stuff, but starving? It ain’t pretty. Especially for a new vamp, they don’t have control yet. Its gotta be learned. He’s going to get out eventually, and when he does he’s gonna feed, kill a whole bunch of people and catch that virus you were talking about.” Spike said. “It would be a whole lot kinder to just end it now.” Spike paused, turning his drink in his hand. “I could do it.”

Josh squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. “There's gotta be a way.”

Spike shrugged. “Pigs blood might take the edge off, but it’s not going to work forever.” The blond nodded towards Josh’s scrubs. “Don’t you work at a hospital? Can’t you just get blood there?”

“I could try... Surveys maybe?” Josh shook his head. “Try to find out who’s not infected. But it still would be a risk. But I could do it.”

“Well I already told you what I think, so.” Spike shrugged and tossed back the last of his beer. “I think we are done here. I got my own problem to deal with.” Spike got up.

“Wait!” Josh called. “Could you help me teach him? Control?”

Spike shook his head. “You don’t want me teaching him mate.” And with that, he turned around, and left.

**Author's Note:**

> Spike most likely got flung though a portal or something, and now has to find his way back to his own world. Just another Tuesday. 
> 
> At first I thought Spike might try and help teach Kenny, but then I though Spike wouldn't want to teach someone the same way Angelus taught him, so there you go. A fic where not much happens.


End file.
